I actually been making use of my bed in the winter. So i shovel it out and use it. I did build a box to throw in the back and have weight secured but I actually haven't had to use it.
in 4x4 there's absolutely zero issues. In 2x4 it's a little more tricky. I've noticed as long as I've got half a tank of gas, I don't have issues in 2x4.... when the weather gets really bad it's in 4x4 anyways.
this is all without winter tires
--- which I plan to purchase for next winter.
The 2x4 has actually been pretty good in all but crazy soft slushy crap or 2 feet of snow.
the 4x4 is amazing at driving through just about anything
she's the one who is pushing for the truck, so i just leave up to her to decide which she is most comfortable with...i wouldn't be uncomfortable testing it in the snow, but as i said, we won't be likely in the market for a few more months, so at the same time, i'd hate to waste the salesperson's time right now...one nice thing about the GM truck is it has an Auto mode for the 4wd system (similar to how the Ridgeline can do it)...it still has a dial with positions for 2H, 4H and 4L, but also includes an Auto setting so you can just set it on Auto and let it do its thing (which, when tested by TFL Truck guys, worked very well)...i was a little concerned about the full manual setting and how i could see her driving home one day and complaining about the weird noises it made, only to discover it was on 4H or something like that on dry pavement (because she forgot to turn it off earlier).
full time AWD / 4x4 is actually a huge advantage in the Ridgeline. After having driven the RL plenty and going into my Tacoma with only the switch option - full time or auto is something that I'd certainly prefer.
My wife loves the truck (hasn't driven in snow - she's intimidated as well) However, on the first snowfall I took a corner giving it some good gas (warning her of course) -- I told her I wanted to test how the power balance vs swinging back end would be like. It scared the crap out of her. After owning a Subaru and the 4x4 RAV - she's was shocked at how you can throw the truck around. It really change her perception of how "safe" and "invincible" 4x4 on a truck is. I think it was a bit of a wake up call in terms of her impression of trucks, especially coming from having been with me driving the Ridgeline around.
(it's much harder to slide out your corners in the RL but still possible)
If your wife is pushing the truck but hasn't driven one, it might be a good idea to experience the winter driving. If she's driven a truck before, then she'd obviously know what she's getting into.
